Turtle Dove & Wood Warbler added to my Hampshire year list.

Saturday 7th June 2025.

It looks as though we had a good winter for Song Thrushes as we found many in the New Forest today.

The Moth Box:

This tiny Apple Leaf Skeletonizer (Choreutis pariana) was my first ever.

It was very wet overnight though, thankfully, the rain had stopped by the time I got into the garden to check the Moth Box. Bright sunshine with a bit of cloud overhead got me buzzing to check the moths and as expected, there was a low turnout. Despite only being just 23 moths of 13 species, there was a ‘Lifer’ among them. It was a micro moth, but my first ever Apple Leaf Skeletonizer (Choreutis pariana) that was carefully balanced on one of the egg trays inside the Moth Box. How on earth did this little moth get a name like that probably needs therapy? Sounds like something out of a cartoon! However, Geoff came up with probably why. The moths caterpillars eat the leaves and leave the stem behind which look like the skeleton of the leaf! Makes sense!

My second Setaceous Hebrew Character of the year after finding one in Devon recently.

I think I flushed a Willow Beauty for it did not settle and flew out of the Box only to be chased by a House Sparrow and was nearly caught twice, but thankfully flew off high and away. My second Setaceous Hebrew Character of the year was present within the Moth Box; my first being in Devon a few weeks back.

The Moths present included the following:

Macro moths:

• White Ermine x4
• Straw Dot x1
• Buff Ermine x1
• Heart & Dart x3
• Dark Arches x3
• Bright-line Brown-eye x1
• Shuttle-shaped Dart x2
• Setaceous Hebrew Character x1

Micro moths:

• Light Brown Apple Moth x2
• Rusty-dot Pearl x1
• Apple Leaf Miner x1
• APPLE LEAF SKELETONIZER x1

My first Turtle Doves of the year:

Swallows were hawking insects over the fields.

Not getting back into ‘Turtlegate’ again, I have not put on my blog where we went to find the Turtle Doves this morning, but the good news is that we DID see at least two at the site we drove too this morning, with possibly three birds present of which put a big smile on our faces. The weather was going to be very ‘iffy’ today and though it rained heavily overnight, it had eased up around 6am and we had a window of around 7 hours afterwards before the heaven opened yet again. I had made up my mind to go for the Turtle Doves first thing this morning and then hammer down the M27 (with all the horrible roadworks) and into the New Forest to see the Wood Warblers afterwards.

Above, Bladder Campion and below, Greater Knapweed, both growing by the side of the country road.

So, from the first site, we waited patiently overlooking some beautiful countryside and being entertained by the local birdlife and plants from our viewpoint. Geoff was pointing out the plants growing along the roadside that included Bladder Campion, Pyramidal Orchids, Greater Knapweed, Cow Parsley and Hedge Rose to name some of the flowering plants. 

Above, this Common Whitethroat was singing on an overhead wire when we got out of the car and below, a flock of Long-tailed Tits were by the roadside.

Above and below, a male Blackcap was foraging for insects and successfully picked out a big caterpillar and quickly disappeared.

Above, we enjoyed scanning the nearby fields for birds and watching the Swallows hawking for insects. A few Rabbits were in the fields too. Below, a Great Spotted Woopecker shared some space with a Song Thrush.

The birdlife present included numerous Swallows hunting insects over the fields, a Common Whitethroat singing from an overhead wire that greeted us when we got out of the car, a Chiffchaff in full song close to the main road and a male Blackcap foraging for insects in a nearby tree. A Linnet flew over our heads as did a Grey Heron heading northbound, while over a nearby hill, a pair of Ravens soared over and Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen foraging on the ground in a nearby field along with a few Song Thrushes. What a lovely place to be first thing in the morning. But where was the star bird? 

Above, this singing Chiffchaff was just yards from where we stood as we waited patiently for the star birds to show. 

Above and below, this Grey Heron lazily flapped northbound over the gorgeous Hampshire countryside.

Enough said!

I was checking much further north using my binoculars and then something caught my eye. I quickly got the telescope onto the said bird and there it was, my first Turtle Dove of the year. The bird was perched on a post at first and behind it was a second bird. I quickly got the guys on the birds as we enjoyed a very relaxed ten minutes or so just enjoying one of the UK’s rarest birds through my telescope. Sadly, the birds were just too distant to get a photo. The future for this species is still uncertain despite a ban on shooting of the species on the Continent, but there is hope as more and more areas are making huge efforts in getting the right areas for the birds to breed in. So, the first bird species to see was now in the bag and next, it was into the New Forest for our second.

The singing Chiffchaff at this site this morning.

My first Hampshire Wood Warbler for the year:

While I was in Devon having a thoroughly relaxing time with Becky and the dogs, last Saturday, Geoff and Andy went into a place in the New Forest where they eventually came across two Wood Warblers. So we all went back to that site and after nearly an hour of a singing Wood Warbler singing deep within the wood, we eventually saw the bird briefly singing within the canopy of a Beech tree. A second bird was heard singing some distance away, but the closer bird was mostly hidden from view. 

Above and below, this Spotted Flycatcher put on a good show in front of us within the Inclosure.

Above, a Common Buzzard soaring high over the Inclosure and below, this adult Song Thrush was being followed by one of its youngsters. 

I had never been to this location in the New Forest before, but it was a beautiful Inclosure where we had sightings of a Spotted Flycatcher, Marsh Tit, several Siskins, Common Buzzard, a female Blackcap, at least two singing Willow Warblers while other birds heard included a Cuckoo, Goldcrest, Firecrest and Crossbills. We heard a raptor calling somewhere within the woods and both Geoff and I agreed that it was a Goshawk!

Above, what is more beautiful than looking at a spread of Foxgloves in a woodland glade? Below, the footpaths were bordered by the tall Marsh Thistles.

Above, when the sun did show, the insects then came. This Common Blue Damselfly was found by Geoff and below, the Field Cuckoo-bee's were nectaring on the Marsh Thistles.

Above, the tiny Marmalade Hoverfly nectaring on a Meadow Buttercup. Below, a spray of Cat's Ears by the footpath.

Meadow Buttercups were abundant along the footpath.

As I said to the guys, what better place to be in the summer time than in the middle of the New Forest. It's not just the birds that keep me happy, but all the other wildlife present here, whatever the weather and that includes the beautiful plants here that include loads of Foxgloves, Cats Ears, the very tall Marsh Thistles, Meadow Buttercups and many others. I took a photo of a small Bumblebee on a Marsh Thistle head and later this evening, I did some research and found out it was a Field Cuckoo-bee, which I think was a ‘first’ for me! By now, the sky was getting darker, but we made it back to the car before the heavens opened.

Blashford Lakes:

And the rain doth pour! Thankfully, we were now in the Tern Hide as the heavens opened and this poor drake Mallard took a battering from the heavy rain.

I knew the rain was going to put a dampener on any birding for the next few hours and so I suggested going to the Tern Hide and Blashford Lakes. It was thumbs up from the guys, but before we got there, it was a trip to the nearby Garage for a bit of grub and then chill out within the Hide. Not a moment too soon, the heavens really opened as we watched the birds cope with a real downpour. The Hide was quite busy with plenty of birders, ‘toggers’ and one particular annoying old miserable 'togger' that always stared at us when we moved. 

Above, a Common Tern flying over Ibsley Water and below, a mixture of birds that included a Pied Wagtail, Coots, a Little Ringed Plover and an Egyptian Goose.

Above, good numbers of Sand Martins hawked over the water in front of the Hide and below, a successful catch for a passing Common Tern. 

Above, Egyptian Geese flying over Ibsley Water.

Sand Martins and Swifts were hawking over Ibsley Water while Grey Lag, Egyptian and Canada Geese were all present here in good numbers and at least four Common Terns were going up and down the lake. Waders here included at least a pair of Oystercatchers and at least a dozen Lapwing with several youngsters seen from the Tern Hide. A Little Ringed Plover seen here this afternoon, where it was either on the small island or the nearby spit close by. A little later, a pair of these dainty birds flew over the lake calling. Fantastic. We even found a Common Spotted Orchid growing near the watersedge; my first of the year to round off a superb day birding with my chums.

Andy has been spending some time creating and enlarging his pond in his garden at Cowplain Marsh. I am looking forward to all the insect and birdlife his pond will attract in the coming months.